Joseph Furphy
Joseph Furphy (Seosamh Ó Foirbhilhe) (26 September 1843 - 13 September 1912), is an Australian poet and novelist, widely regarded as the "Father of the Australian novel". He mostly wrote under the pen name Tom Collins, and is best known for his novel Such is Life (1903), regarded as an Australian classic. Life Furphy was born at Yering Station in Yering, Victoria. His father, Samuel Furphy, was originally a tenant farmer from Tanderagee]], County Armagh, Ireland, who emigrated to Australia in 1840.COLLINS FAMILY HISTORY - General Information at freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com Samuel Furphy was head gardener on the station. There was no school in the district and at first Joseph was educated by his mother. The only books available were the Bible and Shakespeare, and at seven years of age Furphy was already learning passages of each by heart; he never forgot them. In about 1850 the family moved to Kangaroo Ground, Victoria, where the parents of the district built a school and obtained a master. In 1852 the family moved again, to Kyneton, where Samuel Furphy began business as a hay and corn merchant. A few years later he leased a farm and also bought a threshing plant. This was worked by Joseph and a brother, and both became competent engine-drivers. In 1864 Joseph Furphy bought a threshing outfit and travelled the Daylesford and surrounding districts. At Glenlyon he met Leonie Germain, a girl of 16, of French extraction, and in 1866 they were married.Soon afterwards Leonie's mother went to New Zealand and Furphy for a time carried on her farm, but two years later took up a selection near Colbinabbin. The land proved to be poor, and about 1873 he sold out and soon afterwards bought a team of bullocks. He became prosperous as the years went by, but the drought came and he had heavy losses. Some of his bullocks and horses died from pleuro-pneumonia, and in 1884 he accepted a position in the foundry of his brother John at Shepparton, Victoria. There he worked for some 20 years, doing much reading and writing in the evenings. Late in his life, Furphy moved to Western Australia to join his sons who had established an iron foundry there. He died in Claremont, Western Australia, and is buried in Karrakatta Cemetery. Literary career In his youth Furphy had written many verses and in December 1867 he had been awarded the first prize of £3 at the Kyneton Literary Society for a vigorous set of verses on "The Death of President Lincoln". While living at Shepparton, he was encouraged in his writing by Kate Baker, a schoolteacher who boarded with his mother. He sent a story 'The Mythical Sundowner' to The Bulletin under the name 'Warrigal Jack' and it was accepted for publication. His most famous work is Such is Life, a fictional account of the life of rural dwellers, including bullock drivers, squatters and itinerant travellers, in southern New South Wales and Victoria, during the 1880s. In 1897 the manuscript was sent to The Bulletin where A. G. Stephens recognised its worth, but also that it was not a commercial proposition. He suggested cuts and Furphy removed an entire section, later published in serial form as Rigby's Romance. Stephens persuaded the proprietors of the Bulletin to publish the revised Such is Life because it was a great Australian work although not commercially viable. It was published in 1903 and only sold about a third of the print run. Later editions were brought out after Furphy's death through the efforts of Kate Baker who bought the copyright from the Bulletin. In 1905, Furphy moved to Western Australia, where his sons were living. He had made literary friends through the publication of his book, but now lost touch with them. He built a house at Swanbourne, which is now the headquarters of the West Australian branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers. Furphy's popularity may have influenced the usage of the Australian slang word furphy, meaning a "tall story". However, scholars consider it more likely that the word originated with water carts, produced in large numbers by J. Furphy & Sons, a company owned by Joseph's brother John. Such is Life contains possibly the first written incidence of the Australian and New Zealand idiom "ropeable". Chapter One contains the following phrase: "On't ole Martin be ropeable when he sees that fence!" Recognition A full biography of Joseph Furphy (Joseph Furphy: The Legend of a Man and His Book) was written by the Australian author, Miles Franklin, in 1944. Publications Poetry * The Poems of Joseph Furphy . Melbourne: Lothian, 1916 ** Sydney: Sydney University Press, 2004. Novels * Such is Life: Being certain extracts from the diary of Tom Collins. Sydney: Bulletin Newspaper Co., 1903; Melbourne: Specialty Press, 1917; Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1944 **(abridged edition). London: Jonathan Cape, 1937; London: Hogarth Press, 1986 **Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948 **Sydney: Sydney University Press, 2004. * Rigby's Romance. Melbourne: C.J. DeGaris, 1921 **Sydney & London: Angus & Robertson, 1946; Sydney: Sydney University Press, 2004. * The Buln Buln and the Brolga. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1948. Short fiction *''A Boy of the Old Brigade: A short story''. Kangaroo Ground, Vic: Tarcoola Press, 1996. Collected editions *''Such is Life, stories, verse, essays, and letters''. St. Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1981. Letters *''Bushman and Bookworm: The letters of Joseph Furphy'' (edited by John Barnes & Lois Hoffman). Melbourne & New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Except where noted bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Joseph Furphy, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Aug. 15, 2013. See also *List of Australian poets References *Manning Clark, 'Furphy, Joseph (Tom Collins) (1843 - 1912)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, MUP, 1981, pp 600–602. Retrieved on 28 October 2008 *Lois Hoffmann 'Joseph Furphy: An annotated checklist of items in periodicals', Australian Literary Studies, University of Queensland; Volume 11 No.3 May 1984 *John Barnes The Order of Things: A Life of Joseph Furphy Melbourne: Oxford University Press 1990 *Julian Croft The Life and Opinions of Tom Collins: A Study of the Works of Joseph Furphy St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press 1991 *''The annotated Such is Life : being certain extracts from the diary of Tom Collins / by Joseph Furphy'' ; with an introduction and notes by Frances Devlin-Glass, Robin Eaden, Lois Hoffmann and G.W.Turner; Melbourne: Oxford University Press 1991 *''Bushman and Bookworm : Letters of Joseph Furphy '' edited by John Barnes and Lois Hoffmann; Melbourne: Oxford University Press 1995 Notes External links ;Poems * Joseph Furphy (1843 – 1912) in the Australian Poetry Library. ;Books * * Works at Project Gutenberg Australia ;About * Furphy, Joseph (1843–1912) in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. * rootsweb.com "Collins Family History" * [http://www.nla.gov.au/openpublish/index.php/jasal/article/view/319/464 '"Us circling round and round": The Track of narrative and the ghosts of lost children in Such is Life '], JASAL Special Issue 2007 Category:1843 births Category:1912 deaths Category:Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery Category:People from Perth, Western Australia Category:People from Victoria (Australia) Category:Australian short story writers Category:Australian novelists Category:Australian people of Irish descent Category:Australian people of Scottish descent Category:Riverina Category:19th-century poets Category:Australian poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets